Media Presence

eter Saunders, CEO of Christian Medical Fellowship in the UK, summarises the key aspects of making good use of opportunities to give interviews in the mainstream media. Peter has very extensive experience of being interviewed in the UK, speaking regularly on national news programmes about ethical issues, especially those concerning the beginning and end of life. This video was recorded …

Oxford Dictionaries chose ‘post-truth’ as its Word of the Year for 2016. Western media seems to be full of examples of how we live in a post-truth world, as well as frequent discussions about it. What is the state of the media in a post-truth society? Why does fake news circulate so fast in social media? How should we respond as Christians?

Chris Singh talks about one way in which we can share stories online through social media – by being a citizen journalist. While we may not have been trained as a journalist, the essential tools are in our hands already. Mobile phones enable us to photograph, film, and record stories, and to share them with others through social media channels.

Citizen journalists see themselves as responsible to share stories – their own and other people’s – in order to communicate their message. What makes a good citizen journalist?

Wayne Pederson talks about the Lausanne Media Engagement Network’s task to get churches, ministries and individuals involved in media-related ministry.

There are many opportunities for us to be involved through social media, so media ministry is no longer just for organisations with enough money to run a radio or TV station. ‘We have multiple opportunities and more tools in our toolkit to be able to communicate the gospel,’ says Wayne.

Wayne explains that we’re encouraging Christians to select media as a career – not just in Christian media, but in the mainstream secular media, where they can be salt and light.

Finally, Wayne talks about the need to help Christians use media responsibly, since there are dangers as well as opportunities and much to enjoy.

As we learn to use media more effectively among ourselves, we can see society changed.